We’ve yet to see any major updates to Rockstar Games’ GTA Online, but the first hints of what to come are here thanks to the efforts of some tech-savvy data miners.
It all started before the Thanksgiving holiday, when YouTuber Franken Stein (via VG247) discovered a handful of revealing audio files inside the freshly released “Beach Bum” update for GTA:O. Lester, Brucie (who first appeared in GTA IV), and Martin Madrazo are all heard referencing an assortment of possible add-ons, including casinos, smartphone upgrades, indoor dirt racing, custom car events, shark shooting, and spying on people. It’s possible that all of this refers to single-player DLC, but it should be mentioned that all three of those characters are mission-givers in GTAO.
There’s more. Several days after the initial discovery, YouTube user LiveUnknownHacks (via MP1st) captured some video footage of what appears to be GTAO‘s Content Creator, or at least an early version. Rockstar confirmed from the start that players would eventually be able to create their own races and other events via a future update, but this amounts to our first look at how the feature might be implemented.
The main menu includes options for concocting both races and deathmatch maps. You create routes and set items down using an overhead map, though the video below – which appears to be clipped from the mode’s tutorial – suggests that placing items and spawn points is also possible on foot. An array of menu settings allows you to tweak everything from the number of laps to the time of day to the wanted level each match starts at. All of this is likely still subject to change, but it’s a rare early look at what Rockstar is apparently planning.
There’s still no official word from Rockstar on what the update plans are for GTAO. The game’s initially rocky launch seems to have stabilized for the most part – so, of course, players are starting to wonder when more stuff is going to start showing up. The recent Beach Bum pack adds a little bit, but it’s great to see that Rockstar is crunching on toward adding more. Keep on scrolling down for a look at the leaked Content Creator footage.
